AESS - Education Board Meeting May, 2013

1. AESS - EducationBoard MeetingMay, 2013 Joe Fabrizio VP Education

2. Presentation Outline • Core activities • Distinguished lectures • Online tutorials • New initiatives – aimed at younger members • Discussion topics • Summary of current status • Areas for improvement • Some planned activities • Issues for consideration

3. Distinguished Lectures – Current Status • New roster of DLs approved • 16 presenters to represent AESS as DLs • Two-year terms beginning 1 January 2013 • Terms renewable at discretion of the BoG • Program Objectives • Eminence of speakers • Diversity of topics • Quality of content and delivery • Geographic distribution of DLs • Information on Website • Lecture descriptions • Author biographies • Application procedure • Funding guidelines • DL Activity in 2012 • 12 DLs given by 8 speakers • 8 DLs were inactive in 2012 • 14 DLs presented at least once since 2010

4. Distinguished Lectures – Improvement Areas • Participation • DLs may remain inactive for a significant time - more than 2 yrs. • Active DLs are needed to be effective ambassadors of the AESS • Assessment • Lecture evaluation sheets are often filled out by the point of contact (or not all) • Need to monitor benefit as perceived by AESS members and other participants • Procedure • Application process is rather informal and event details are not always made clear a priori • Increases the potential for misunderstandings between the DL, host, and VP Education • Promotion • DL program is advertised in AESS Magazine and on website – but can more be done? • Expand role of DLs to generate interest in AESS by proactive interaction with chapters • Other • Lectures are not often given when other travel opportunities arise – e.g. conference travel • Chapters chairs have not provided feedback to assist future DL selection when requested

5. Distinguished Lectures – Planned Activities • Ensure DLs are active • Introduce a 2 year term with DL activity reviewed annually – have informed DLs • Phase out DLs that are inactive for more than 2 consecutive years across terms • Assess benefit to participants • Host requested to register attendees at entry to lecture – name, organization and email address • List submitted to VP Education – provide attendance information and send evaluation requests • Standardize application procedure • Design a standard form to apply for a DL visit - make it available on website (or online direct) • Ensures that all parties are clear on the arrangements (reduce potential for misinterpretation) • Stretch AESS budget • Encourage DLs to present when compatible with other travel – eliminate cost of an airfare • Hold more virtual DLs using modern video conference techniques – particularly for students • Other • Chapter Chairs to include suggestions for DLs and improving the AESS in annual report • Recruit new DLs based on eminence, topic, quality of content and delivery, + geography

6. Distinguished Lectures – Issues for BoG • Past AESS-DL presenters • Some have expressed a desire to continue advertising lectures as DLs (at no cost to AESS) • Historically have not allowed this, if we break from tradition then it should apply for all past DLs • Question for the BoG - is this something that we should allow? • DL activity interpretation • DLs are expected to present at least once per year • Some DLs have said that this condition should apply subject to invitation from a chapter • My interpretation is that being active is broader than responding to invitations only • AESS-portion funding • Local sections and chapters are expected to pay for 50% of the speakers total expenses • This favours larger chapters (o/s DLs expensive) - need to help smaller chapters to grow • Consider relaxing 50-50 rule subject to both VP Ed and AESS president approval • Proposed process (effectively unchanged) • Visit proposal submitted to VP Ed – dates/venues, cost estimate, section/chapter funding commitment • AESS pays for airfares, sections/chapters pay directly for local expenses - expenses submitted to VP • Reimbursements made to DL and chapters (as required) to ensure that 50-50 rule is satisfied

7. Currently Online • Bistatic & Multistatic Radar – Hugh Griffiths • GPS/GNSS + Inertial Navigation – James Farrell • Radar System Performance Modeling – Dick Curry • Sea Clutter - Simon Watts & Keith Ward • Fundamental Concepts in Radar Signal Processing - Mark Richards • Introduction to Stealth – Dave Lynch • Under Discussion • Foliage Penetration – Mark Davis • Inertial System and GPS Technology Trends – George Schmidt • Introduction to Image Fusion – Erik Blasch Online Tutorials – Current Status Analysis of Hits (5 months: Apr1to­ Sep 4, 2012) • Position in a Google search for key words is respectable • Number of hits is much lower than desired ~ 2700/month • Half of the viewers take a quick peek and leave • Only 67 visitors have returned to the site

8. Online Tutorials – Improvement Areas • Limited Utilization • Activity reports from Google Analytic show that access to videos has been disappointing • Half of the visitors take quick peek and leave, and only 15% of visitors return to the site • External Visibility • Tutorials are accessible only to AESS members – much larger pool of external viewers • Non-members do not have access – partial visibility may provide incentive to join AESS • Topic Diversity • Tutorial topics available on line are dominated by radar-related subjects – 5 out of the 6 • Alternative fields of interest to AESS members are inadequately represented at present • Member Login • Tutorials are made accessible to AESS members but the login procedure has been problematic • Not obvious who to contact for login problems – its possible that members try and then give up Other Products • Tutorials on a wide variety of topics are freely available online • Do not compete but provided a facility for mem

9. Online Tutorials – Planned Activities Open access • Allow previews or limited portions of tutorials to be viewed by non-members (also applies to DLs) • Enabled by modifying tutorial access and log-in on website Broaden topics • Better representation of AESS FOIs and search for emerging topics where AESS can provide home • e.g. approach lectures who already present tutorials at conferences and meetings or authors of texts Online education • Develop an indexed compendium of useful links to existing open source education information • Methods TBD with education committee of International Radar Systems Panel (community) Feedback page • Implement a feedback page for AESS members to better understand their needs directly • This page could be made general to include all other VP areas – not implemented as yet

10. Mentoring Schemenew initiative aimed at younger members Significant issue • ``Concern about the Society’s lack of growth’’ - excerpt taken from 2012 strategic plan • Sense that student interest is waning in engineering fields that traditionally feed AESS Main goal • Develop programs aimed at providing attractive benefits for younger AESS members • To retain student members and encourage young professionals to become members Mentoring scheme • Students and young professionals are often left to their own after joining the AESS • Structured scheme to help young members integrate quickly into AESS community Conference networking • To simply invite students to attend AESS conferences under sponsorship is not sufficient • Need leaders to engage with them to help understand our community and promote AESS Technical guidance • Students often know of leaders in their field of interest - and often admire them from afar • The scheme should actively help connect students and mentors for technical exchange

11. Summary • Growing the AESS and revenue (not only membership per se) • Important to do more than simply advertise existing services and benefits • Growth requires the implementation of new customer-focussed strategies • Strategy for AESS Education • Improve existing services: Distinguished lecture program, online tutorial and education • Provide more benefits: mentorship scheme – new initiative aimed for younger members • Grow technically: creating a professional home for alternative/emerging fields of interest • Overarching Strategy • Our members should be more encouraged and empowered to help grow the AESS • Use membership resource to grow internationally (part. under-represented regions)